How to Build Capacity in Statistics? Alper GÜCÜMENGİL Head of International Project

TURKISH STATISTICAL INSTITUTE

International Relations DepartmentInternational Project Management Group

IAOS 2014 Conference Da Nang, Vietnam

08-10 October 2014

How to Build Capacity in Statistics?

Alper GÜCÜMENGİLHead of International Project

Management Group




08-10 October 2014

Presentation Plan

• Why to Build Capacity in Statistics?

• Capacity Building in Statistics

• Steps in Capacity Building

• A Case Study: the Efforts for

Improvement of Capacity in TurkStat

• Conclusion




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Why to Build Capacity in Statistics? (1)

Statistics:

• sine qua non of all types of interactions among actors of social and economic life

• crucial in the fight against poverty, social and economic inequality, public health and environmental problems etc.

• indispensable tool for a rational governing, particularly for the policy making processes.

“Indispensable Tool”




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Why to Build Capacity in Statistics? (2)

Changing Conditions:

• Drastic changes in social, economic and cultural life

• Decision makers are under much more pressure

• ‘Need’ dimension and ‘User Profiles’ are different than before

• Emergence of new data demands

• Needs about comparable data among countries as a result of globalization




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Why to Build Capacity in Statistics? (3)NSOs’ Position: • Official statisticians’ task: much more difficult• NSOs of all countries: under intense pressures

• limited resources • changing needs and changing users• growing demands from traditional users

• Official statisticians should have adequate competencies to catch up the developments• NSOs need to develop/build capacity to cope with these challenges

http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-because-i-am-statistician/




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Capacity Building in Statistics (1)

What is Capacity Building? (in general terms)

• the means by which skills, experience, technical and management capacity are developed

•within an organizational structure (contractors, consultants or contracting agencies)

•often through the provision of technical assistance, short/long-term training, and specialist inputs (e.g. computer systems).




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Capacity Building in Statistics (2)

Capacity in Statistics

Ability of NSOs to produce reliable, accurate, timely,

relevant and internationally

comparable data

Capacity building means:

• to create or strengthen this ability in statistical institutions

• in broader terms reforming a country’s statistical

system




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Capacity Building in Statistics (3)Dimensions of Capacity Building

•Legal infrastructure

•Autonomy

•Human resources

•Financial resources

•Infrastructure and technical resources

•Standards

•Coordination roles of NSOs

•Dissemination

•Culture




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Steps in Capacity Building (1)

Where to start?

1. Evaluating the present situation

• “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats – SWOT” Analysis

• The environment (of NSOs) analysis (Political, Economical, Socio-cultural, Technological Factors – PEST)

• Global and sector assessment exercises




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2. Developing a strategy and using management tools•Preparation of a strategy – the determination of

principles, mission, vision, strategic aims, time specifications, human-finance resources allocation, specific goals, targets, milestones.

How to proceed?

• Strategic Management• Project Management• Governance• Total Quality Management• Risk Management• Resource Management• Time Management• Change Management




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3. Implementation process taking legal, institutional, methodological and practical actions

• Implementation of a strategy: the most difficult and challenging part

• The ownership and leadership of top management • Absorption capacity of NSS• Establishment of a team for the effective implementation

• Support of top management• Communication; networking is the key word for the success

Action




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Continuous Monitoring

4. Monitoring of the results

• Monitoring; the regular observation aimed at providingearly indicators of development and deficiencies

• Tools for monitoring: •Progress reports presented to the international organizations •Regular annual assessment meetings•New versions of global assessments, peer review studies•Project/programme evaluation missions •Compliance monitoring tools •Data availability exercises




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Steps in Capacity Building (5)Continuous Monitoring

4. Monitoring of the results • Some indicators to evaluate statistical capacity level:

•adoption of new law and regulations •introduction of formal planning processes•enhancement of staff knowledge•number of new statistical datasets •volume of data transmitted to international organizations •data validated and published by international organizations•percentage in completeness of data in international publications•number of surveys replaced by administrative registers•number of micro-datasets provided to the researchers

• Monitoring; the revision possibility for immediate actions and/or for further progress




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A Case Study: the Efforts for Improvement of Capacity in TurkStat

(1)

Starting Point

• Turkey’s EU candidacy in 1999 and

setting priority to EU membership

• TurkStat serves

• to modernize Turkish Statistical System (TSS) (1)

• provides data for the EU negotiation process (2)

“Double Role of Statistics”




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(2)1. Evaluation Process

• Interaction with Eurostat

• SWOT Analysis for TurkStat

• Global Assessment Exercise, 2002

• international reference document to upgrade TSS




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(3)2. Developing strategy and using the management

tools• A general strategy with the strategic aim to reform and

modernize the statistical system

• The capacity building initiative of TurkStat (1) legal infrastructure (2) programming and coordination among the actors (3) resources(4) statistical domains




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A Case Study: the Efforts for Improvement of Capacity in TurkStat (4)

2. Developing strategy and using the management tools

• Project management: the major tool in the process for TurkStat • Determination of risks • Time management to set the priorities and reach the goals of

projects • The management of all resources of TurkStat including

international funds• Strategic management-Multi annual planning

• Strategic Plans and Official Statistics Programme• Governance tool• Change management process • TQM approach in TurkStat: Process Management




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3. Implementation

• New Turkish Statistical Law adopted in 2005

• “Silent Reform”

• Important contributions for the Turkish Statistical System

• Coordination role: strengthening of the coordination role and competency of TurkStat in TSS with New Law

• Re-structuring of Regional Offices according to NUTS levels

• Revision in the organizational structure of TurkStat




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3. Implementation • Recruitment of young and educated staff

• total staff number increased by 19 percent: • 3124 (in 2003) 3717 (in 2014)

• Establishment of Training and Research Center in 2006 • Formal regular programme for the staff

• Studies on Dissemination

• New TurkStat website in June 2013 (considering user satisfaction surveys)

• Several tailor-made solutions for target user groups

• Efficient use of social media

• Design of the web site “www.officialstatistics.gov.tr”




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3. Implementation • International programmes/projects• Upgrading the Statistical System of Turkey (USST) Programme

• Phase I (January 2003–March 2007) • Phase II (January 2007–November 2009) • Phase III (July 2011–December 2014)

• Eurostat Multi Beneficiary Programmes (MBPs)

• PHARE 2005 (January 2007-December 2008) • MBP 2006 (January 2008-December 2010) • IPA MBP 2009 (December 2010-November 2012) • IPA MBP 2011 (September 2012-August 2014)• IPA MBP 2012 (January 2014-November 2015)




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3. Implementation

• International programmes/projects

• Financial support of approximately 30 Million Euro

• IT equipment of approximately 3 Million Euro

• Implementation of projects on several statistical areas to reach the international standards and EU Statistical Acquis

• Implementation of more than 30 data collection projects




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3. Implementation


• Consultancy service of more than 10000 Working Days• Consultants made assessments and

recommendations in each area• Questionnaires were revised• New surveys were launched• Methodological studies were carried out• Classification Server was set up• Infrastructure of Business Registers System was set up• User satisfaction survey was implemented • Statistical data request database was established




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3. Implementation


• 7540 participants from TurkStat and stakeholders

2301 international and local activities (SVs, TCs, TRs, Meetings, Conferences)

• Language Training (English) to 210 TurkStat staff and staff of stakeholders

• Translation Service: ~8000 pages of EU legislation and methodology

• Technical assistance to 12 Ministries within TSS




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4. Monitoring• Capacity building in TurkStat: internal and external monitoring • Reporting: the major tool of the internal monitoring process • Goals and objectives of TurkStat strategic plan;

• performance evaluation: the comparable analysis of the performance goals with the outcomes in the monitoring reports

• The internal monitoring reports: attainment of the strategic objectives

• Performance indicators




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4. Monitoring

External Monitoring• Project/Programme Evaluation Reports by independent experts

• USST Programme of TurkStat received the highest grade in the Evaluation Report of EU Programmes:

“the best EU Project implemented in Turkey” • Other mechanisms used for TurkStat:

• monitoring and progress reports presented to international organizations

• regular annual assessment meetings by mainly Eurostat • Light Peer Review studies • compliance monitoring tools and indicators related to the data

transmission to Eurostat




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4. MonitoringMain results of the monitoring process: • Legal infrastructure for TSS with important features:

Establishment of a Statistical Council and ensure its functionality Having the right of TurkStat to access administrative registers

for statistical usage Maintaining the professional and technical autonomy of TurkStat Transition to multi-year programming – Official Statistics

Programme• A modern and integrated statistical system • Enhancement of cooperation and coordination between TurkStat

and main data providers• New organizational structure of TurkStat based on GSBPM




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4. Monitoring

Main results of the monitoring process: • Improvement of the capacity of TurkStat regional offices • Developed human resources structure • Incrased knowledge of TurkStat and TSS staff about the

international statistical standards, terminologies and methods (specifically EU) • create the awareness of reforms and requirements in TSS • communication channels and network

• Institutional transformation process has mainly given an international point of view to the staff and created a common language

• Improved English levels of TurkStat and main data providers’ personnel




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4. MonitoringMain results of the monitoring process: • Renewal of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

infrastructure of TurkStat• Establishment of Classification Server • Setting up Infrastructure of Business Register System • Established Address Based Population Registration System • Improved methodology of statistics in line with the EU standards




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4. MonitoringMain results of the monitoring process: • The increase in number of datasets transmitted to Eurostat from

Turkey: • 25 (in 2004) 328 (in 2012) • percentage of transmission of the requested data increased by

nine times• With the renewal of TurkStat’s website structure, TurkStat now has

more user friendly databases (around 70 user databases) • The information: more visible and accessible for the users • Social media: the use of statistics has been promoted




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4. Monitoring

Remarks • Important steps between 2000 and 2014• Overall objective (Harmonization of Statistics to EU Methodology

or international standards) has not been fully achieved yet • Monitoring indicators still need to be enhanced• One of the main challenges: the revisions in EU Statistical Acquis

and international standards • Another challenge: insufficient administrative registers in Turkey




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4. Monitoring

Remarks • The increase in the attendance and contributions of TurkStat

experts as “best practice” to international events: • Consultancy services of 1150 Working Days by TurkStat Experts

to the NSOs • 710 experts from relevant countries in training programmes in

Turkey. • TurkStat’s Critical Role in capacity building process:

• the proper use of funds • establishment of qualified team • good communication channels with the stakeholders “Institutional capacity of TurkStat has been considerably

developed by means of the comprehensive studies”




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Conclusion

• Capacity building: a continuous effort • NSOs need to reform and modernize their

infrastructure and adopt new developments in the statistical arena without breaks

• Dynamic process • Ceasing investment in statistical capacities:

weakness in coping with the new challenges




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Last Words:

“The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to

love and to be greater than our suffering.” Ben Okri, Nigerian Poet and Novelist, 1959 - ....

Thank You…

How to Build Capacity in Statistics? Alper GÜCÜMENGİL Head of International Project

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